English hopes of European gold are dashed

English hopes of European championship gold medals were dashed today when both the men’s and women’s teams lost close semi-finals.

Now both will be involved in play-offs for bronze medals. The men, who won bronze last year, will take on Sweden tomorrow, while the women will play Spain.

Today, the men lost 4-3 to Scotland, who snatched the winning point on the 19th hole of the last game on the course. Greig Marchbank fought back from two down with three to play to defeat England’s Ben Taylor and take his side into the final.

England team manager Terry Casey commented: “We are a team and this has been a really good effort that just failed at the death.”

The women’s team (pictured below) were beaten by Switzerland 4½-2½. Honours were even after the morning foursomes, with Hayley Davis and Charlotte Thomas winning for England.

But, the Swiss had the winning edge in a series of tight matches which went to the 18th. Only Davis won her point in the afternoon session, finishing 1up, while Bronte Law and Alice Hewson both lost on the last. Meghan MacLaren had lost on the 16th, while Charlotte Thomas’s game was halved.

Team captain Elaine Ratcliffe commented: “It was really close and the girls played some good golf in tough conditions with 20mph winds. But the Swiss hit some great shots at crucial times.”

The girls’ team continued their winning progress through Flight B with a clean sweep against Denmark, winning 5-0. The individual matches were very tight with two finishing on the 17th, two on the 18th and one on the 19th. Tomorrow they play Sweden.

The boys’ team defeated Italy 3-2 in their quest for a high finish in Flight A of their championship. Will Enefer and Matty Lamb both won their singles and Bradley Moore received a walkover. Tomorrow they play Scotland.